Glass-pot-filling apparatus



Dec. 2, 1930. w, BARNES r 1,783,459

GLASS POT FILLING APPARATUS Filed March 14. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Dec. 2, 1930. w. E. BARNES GLASS POT FILLING APPARATUS Filed March 14.

1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM E. BARNES, OF TARENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPQBATION OF PENNSYLVANIA GLAss-roT-rILLINe APPARATUS Application filed March 14, 1927.. Serial No. 175,049.

The invention relates to apparatus for supplying batch to the melting pots as used in glass furnaces for-the production of plate glass. The invention comprehends such changes in the furnaces themselves as are necessary in order to use the new apparatus therewith.- Heretofore, the practice has been to fill the pots by means of. ladles, or

other suitable means inserted through openings in the side walls ortuilles of the fur-V naces. This involves a considerable amount of labor undersevere heat conditions, and it is the object of the present invention to provide an arrangement which will greatly lessen the labor. required and which does not require that the operators be exposed to severe heat such as that involved in feeding the pots through the side walls of the furnaces. One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one end of a pot furnace. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the furnace on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus,

and Fig. 4 is a detail section, on an enlarged scale, through the chute.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the floor of a casting hall upon which the furnace is built, such furnace consisting of the side walls 2, 2, the crown 3 and the tuilles 4, 4 which cover the openings 5, 5 through which the pots 6, 6 are removed from the furnace after the batch has been properly melted and fined. The side walls of the furnace are supported by means of the buck-stays 7, 7 secured together at their upper ends by means of the transverse tie members 8 and 9. Mounted upon the tie members 8 and extending longitudinally of the furnace are the shafts 10, 10 carrying the series of pulleys 11, 11. These pulleys have attached thereto the chains 12, 12 for raising the tuilles, the shafts 10, 10 being rotated to accomplish this result by power means, not shown. Extending longitudinally of the casting hall are the usual tracks 13, 13 upon which is mounted the crane 14. This crane is provided with suitable raising and lowering means and is employed to bring the batch boxes 15 into position, as later described.

The batch-filling apparatus comprises a framework 16, preferably built of an les, and .mountedupon a truck 17 having our swivelled wheels or castors 18 for moving the framework longitudinally of the furnace and toward and from the side walls thereof. The framework is mounted onthe truck for tilting movement around the vertical axis 19for a purpose to be described later. The upper portion of the framework is provided with a pair of opposing inclined channel irons 20 supported at their lower ends by the angles 21 and serving as a track for the filling means. Such filling means consists of a hopper 22 and a chute 23 provided with wheels 24, 24 working upon the inclined track 20. The hopper and chuteare moved upa-nd down bymeans of the chain 25 passing over the pulley 26 and down to the winch 27, such, winch being operated by a suitable handle 28.

;At suitable intervals along the length of the furnace, openings 29 are provided through the crown 3, such openings in each case being preferably located midway be- 7 tween two pots, so that the one opening will serve for the filling of two pots, and the weakening of the crown due to theopenings therefore reduced to a minimum. These openings are adapted to be closed by suitable oovers.,30, of refractory material, and these covers are operated by pairs of arms 31, 31 mountedloosely' on the shaftslO, 10. The arms are pivoted at their lower ends to suitable reinforcing-members extending through the covers 30, 30, and these arms are adapted to be swung, or operated by. hand rods 32, which are merely hooked around the arms so that they may be readily removed when it is desired to get them out of the way. 90.

When it becomes necessary to fill a pot, one of the covers 30,,as indicated in Fig. 2, is moved back, uncovering the opening29, and the frame 16 carrying thehopper and chute having been brought into position opposite this opening, the'chute and hopper are moved downto theposition shown with the lower end ofthe chute immediately above one of the pots 6. a The batch box 15 may now be moved into; position-over-thehopper 22, and upon opening the gate 38, the contents of the box are discharged into the hopper and through the chute 23 into the pot. The gate 33 at the lower end of the batch box is preferably operated by means of a hand rod which is formed at its end so as to fit into the socket 34 carried by the gate. After the pot is filled, the winch 28 is operated to move the hopper and chute upward along the inclined track until the lower end of the chute is above the crown of the furnace. The arms 31 can then be pulled forward by the rod 32 dragging the cover over the opening. In order that the one opening 29 may serve as a passage way to permit the filling of two pots, it is necessary that the chute 23 should be arranged so that it can betilted laterally. This is accom plished, as heretofore referred to, by mounting the framework 16 for swinging movement about the vertical axis 19. By rotating the frame 16 slightly, the chute 23 may be made so that it will discharge into eitl er of the pots between which it is located.

In order that the chute 23 may stand up under-the intense heat, its walls are made double, as indicated in Fig. 4, to provide a water circulation space 35 therebetween. This space is supplied by means of a flexible hose 36, another hose 37 acting as the outlet, so that a circulation may be maintained. The apparatus as shown and described consisting of the filling apparatus carried upon the framework 16 may be used without any reorganization of the furnace construction aside from the provision oft-he openings 29 through the crown. The angle at which the chute 23 lies, when retracted to upper position, as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. 2, is such that when the frame 16 is moved inward to bring it to filling position, it will pass between the buck-stays 7, 7 and beneath the shaft 10, the clearance provided being ample for this purpose. In order to bring the framework to a new filling position opposite another opening through the top of the furnace, it is necessary to withdraw the frame so that the lower end of the chute lies outward from the buck-stays 7, after which the frame can be moved longitudinally of the furnacethe necessary distance, and then moved inward between the buck-stays to a point where the lower end of the chute lies opposite the open ing 29.

hat I claim is:

1. The combination in apparatus for charging a'glass pot furnace having a series of openings through its crown, of a frame work mounted for movement upon the floor in front of the furnace longitudinally thereof and provided with a filling means consisting of a hopper and a chute lying above the furnace and supported so that it may be moved up and down upon said framework at an inclination such that the chute will pass through any one of said openings when lowered, and means for supplying batch to said hopper, said framework being mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis so that the angle at which the chute enters the furnace may be shifted to permit it to discharge to either one of two pots in the furnace.

2. The combination in apparatus for charging a glass pot furnace having a series of openings through its crown, of a truck mounted on swivelled wheels for movement in all directions on the floor in front of the furnace, a frame swivelled on the truck for movement about a vertical axis and extending upward to a point above the crown of the furnace, an inclined guidewav. a chute mounted on the guideway for movement longitudinally thereof and adapted in advanced position to extend through one of said openings, an overhead crane adapted to followthemovoments of the frame along the furnace, and a batch container carried by the crane for supplying said chute, the swivel mounting of the frame permitting the chute to be shifted so as to discharge to either one of two pots in the furnace.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subs scribed my name this twenty-fourth day of February, 1927.

WILLIAM E, BARNES. 

